How To Survive A Calamity

"Nicodemus Kodrey."

"Huh, Nico?"

Nico?

I stared at the surprised Chelsea.

Nico... wasn't that the name of the guy Chelsea told me about.

[You remembered.] Meta included sarcastically and right eye twitched.

I scattered my hair and rose up.

'Of course i do, it's only been a few days ago.'

I wasn't sure, was there a time dilation in this dungeon too?

Probably not, since it was unlikely considering the exercise.

'No, that's not the point...' i shook my head amd pushed aside my unnecessary thoughts.

I looked between the black haired boy and Chelsea standing next to me.

The boy raised his head, hearing his name from her lips. His eyes were still hidden behind his shaggy black hair.

"Huh? Ch-chelsea?"

"You two know each other?" I casually said despite knowing the answer.

I wasn't sure why, but i suddenly felt awkward being between the two like this. Maybe it was because Chelsea already told me about how the two's relationship had been turning out lately.

This was the consequences of knowing too much.

I didn't know Nicodemus personally, and neither did i know Chelsea for too long, but i already felt like i was meddling.

"Nico...what are you doing here?! What happened?" Chelsea snapped out of her momentary daze and rushed towards him.

This time, Nico didn't shuffle backwards or retreat as Chelsea blatantly approached in the same way he ran away from me.

"Chelsea...i - i was..."

"Are you okay? You're covered in so much blood..."

"..."

I watched the two friends exchange worry amd concern silently from being. Eventually, i decided it was better to leave and turned away.

Nico still seems unsteady after whatever he has experienced, but since Chelsea was there, she could probably take care of him better.

He would probably find it more easier to talk with her rather than me.

Although i was curious about what happened here, it would be better to let him relax in her embrace for now.

There were still more things to do besides that, like looking for more survivors.

Chelsea mentioned they found another, too.

"This one is badly wounded, it's amazing how he's still alive." Deandra's voice held genuine suprise as she tried to carefully check on the victim.

"Oh my world, th-there's so much blood! Class rep, wh-wh-what do we do?"

"I...i don't know. We...we should probably apply pressure on the wound , try to ease his pain."

"R-right! Class rep is right, w-we should probably do that...!

"M-mhm."

"..." I stared silently.

What were this two doing?

Deandra and Trise were both fumbling around the body, struggling with what to do.

It was amusing at first, watching these otherwise high and haughty girls break sweat and loose composure like this.

"Wahh, Class rep! His arm...his arm is twitching?!"

"Be calm, Trise! Just breathe in. You have to remember to breathe in, in and out, like that! Be calm! It'll be over soon!"

"O-ohh, yes! B-b-but class rep, what about his arm?!" Trise stammered in a fluster fury.

"That's..." Deandra made a complicated expression.

'This is just...'

It was amusing to watch but it quickly became a sore sight.

I felt pity on all three of them, the injured cadet as well. To have those two air heads be the ones to take care of his wounds.

"Breathe in Trise!"

"Oof! Oof! Ooof! Class rep!?"

Eventually, i couldn't take it anywhere.

"Step aside, let me take a look."

"Ah? V-Victor?"

I shook my head with a sigh and walked in between the two of them.

Then i hurriedly heard Deandra say.

"Be careful, he's really injured badly. There's so much blood, too, his wounds might also be infected."

"Uh-huh."

I dryly nodded without looking back.

The wounded cadet made an agonizing groan and i glanced at him.

'Appraisal.'

I silently activated my skill and swept a gaze over the moaning cadet.

It was a young man covered entirely with blood and injuries. Even going as far as having lost an arm.

His left arm had been severed haphazardly causing it to persistently bleed out without end and convulse.

There was a massvie wide bloody gash running across his entire torso from his right shoulder, down and across his upper body.

'It's a sword wound.' just like his dismembered arm, the morbid gash running across his upper body was clearly caused by a sword.

It wasn't an entirely clean cut, going to tell the level of experience of his attacker.

But it was a terrifyingly deep wound, nonetheless.

Deandra was right, it was amazing the cadet had managed to hold on this long.

But considering the amount of pain he must be in, i wasn't sure wether to consider him lucky however.

My expression became unpleasant.

'Meta.'

My head buzzed mildly and Meta responded coldly in her usual unsympathetic manner.

[Negative. This one is done for.]

At those could refuting words, i could only sigh.

There's no point if he was alive right now. With the extent of the terrible wounds on his body, the cadet was already destined to die in time.

I shook my head, sighed and deactivated my Appraisal skill.

"He won't make it." I simply said.

Not unless some sort of miracle or coincidence happens.

As I stared at the stirring cadet who couldn't even open his eyes on the ground, i couldn't help but purse my lips.

'I'm sorry. You might have had a chance at that coincidence or miracle if i weren't here with my luck.' i restrained a sigh.

Damn, this was depressing.

"There's nothing we can do...?" Deandra said with regret from behind.

I shook my head.

"But we should get as much information as we can from him."

"Where's Chelsea?" Trise said looking around.

"She's with the other survivor."

I said then proceeded to question the wounded cadet.

The cadet who was covered in blood struggled to open his eyes, groaning in agony from time to time. Hearing my voice, he managed to raise his head and stared at me and i met his gaze evenly.

I bent next to him.

"What happ—"

But before i could finish, i suddenly froze stiff.

A familiar unsettling cold chill filled my mind and embraced my body, and the world seemed to draw and grow thicker.

Danger Sense was reacting strongly to something.

I could feel the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end and my fingers tingled.

Meanwhile, the cadet continued to groan. His lips trembled and parted, small incomprehensibe jumble left his mouth.

"B...b.. b"

My eye sharply darted towards him, intense wariness and battle instinct began to surge inside of me.

"Ugh. Be...bh..."

The cadet was struggling to say something as he stirred.

'Be?'

My senses were warning sharply, i instantly spread out my perception and awareness but i couldn't tell.

All i knew was that something... something was wrong.

I had to get away.
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And then instantly.

"Hey, we need to get away from here quickly!" I shot up to my feet and said to Deandra and Trise who stood behind me.

Sweat beaded down my face from my forehead, trailing down the sides of my cheeks.

It was like i could hear my own heartbeat pounding powerfully in my ears.

What was it?

Danger sense was reacting this strongly, but i hadn't been attacked yet. Nothing had happened.

Wait.

Could it be?

The mysterious mind attack again?

Was that the reason why i suddenly felt alarmed?

'No, it's possible but i don't think that's it.' in a mere second my mind raced endlessly.

It couldn't be that, i thought, the degree of reaction Danger sense was responding to at the moment was on a lower intensity than before.

'Immersion hasn't automatically activated either. The system also hasn't reacted in any manner, too.' those thoughts managed to alleviate my feelings somewhat. But it didn't erase the uncomfortable feeling of having the Danger sense skill react to something.

But then, if it wasn't the mysterious mental attack from before, what could it be?

I had no idea.

I still knew too little about the Danger Sense skill ever since it leveled up. It's range and scope of effect seemed to have grown somehow, but i had no idea to what extent.

Usually, within at least a second the skill reacted to something, i would be attacked or confronted by whatever it was.

But now...

Could the activation of the skill happened with more time before the anticipated danger comes?

Deandra and Trise just stared at me, blinking.

"What...?

I didn't pay attention to them and sharpened my eyes.

'Where's Chelsea?"

Then i heard the muddled voice of the cadet who was laying on the ground, missing an arm.

His lips parted, his voice groaned.

I reflexively sharply turned back to him.

But then...

"Ugh..."

He said feverishly;

"Behind you."

Then i heard a scream.

"Aahk!"

It was a familiar voice.

"Chelsea!" I turned again.

There she was.

Chelsea was being held up by the neck by a figure draped in undulating darkness like live shadows.

"Nicodemus!" I growled.

Danger Sense was tingling much harder than before.

It was then i realised the reason was before me after all.

Nicodemus, with his shaggy bangs that hid his face, unreadably glanced at Chelsea, then casually tissed her away to the ground.

Then he raised an arm forward, a mysterious black book appeared out of nowhere and it's pages fluttered open, spewing out dark miasma that spread out like a lightless fog into the area.

With one hand, Nicodemus fluidly brushed back his shaggy bangs, slicking it and parting through with his fingers.

He revealed two inky black eyes that swirled like two endless black holes. They were cold and empty, devoid of warmth nor sympathy of any kind. He coldly gazed at us aloofly without a word.

"N-Nico...?" Chelsea held her neck against the ground and coughed as she stared at him with trembling eyes filled with confusion.

Even i was still confused. I wasn't entirely sure what was happening even despite the warning of Danger Sense.

Perhaps if i had been sharper, i could have stopped Nicodemus.

But.

It was already too late.

Nicodemus raised a hand.

And everything went dark.